Featured Alumnus.

From Colley Award to Campaign Leader

Thomas Howard ‘93

Thomas Howard ’93 is a former chapter president and the fifth brother from Alpha Phi to receive the Colley Award, the National Fraternity’s award recognizing the Most Outstanding Theta Chi in the nation. Brother Howard made the one of the largest individual gifts to the Capital Campaign, Honoring Our Past, Building our Future.

The support from Thomas Howard and Greg Mullins ’85, the top two contributions to the campaign, was critical in Alpha Phi’s ability to build a new house, and enabled us to exceed the $1 million mark in our campaign. Thomas agreed to talk with us about his decision to make a lead gift to the campaign:

“To this day, the fraternity has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life,” Brother Howard stated. “The fraternity gave me an incredible family of friends, provided me with so much opportunity to get involved in campus activities, and taught countless lessons about relationships and leadership. All of these things worked together to help prepare me for my future. I just want to do my part to help make sure that it can continue to do the same things for the guys yet to follow.

“I was a legacy, so I spent some time at the House in the summer before high school graduation. (Brother Ben Howard ‘86). I decided to not take the bid in the summer and keep my options open. In the end, it was a no-brainer to go Theta Chi. Everyone seemed authentic, and there seemed to be a great mix of people in the house. It was clearly a house that knew how to have fun, but that also stayed very grounded in academics and campus involvement...and that’s exactly what I was looking for. Derek Simpson ‘92, Mark Borden ‘90 and Mike Donlan’90 rushed me.”

“I remember the normal parts of everyday life of living in the house the most...Brenda always having my French toast and eggs ready in the morning, Thursday night swaps, Friday afternoons in the fall, spring parties, and just hanging around on random nights during the week. I lived in the house for four years and it was easily one of the best decisions I ever made.

“The fraternity undoubtedly prepared me for my career more than anything else in college. Living in community with more than 100 guys taught me a ton of things... how to compromise and negotiate alongside friendships; how to make tough decisions that might alienate some, but is in the overall best interest of the house; how to disagree with someone and yet still have a productive relationship; how powerful the practice of building people up can be, and how every single person has a skill set that can contribute to the house...although I still haven’t found a way to apply all that experience of stripping and waxing those floors!

“One of the values I learned in the fraternity was loyalty. Not everybody was the same, and not everyone was the best of friends, but we were a family and stuck up for each other. I had never lived in close community with such a diverse group of guys, and yet everyone knew we were part of something bigger than ourselves. At the end of the day, somebody in the house would have your back...and sometimes it’d be from the person you least expected.

Thomas Howard lives in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta and is the founder of MemberClicks, a web-based company that provides website and membership data capability for organizations and institutions. His company manages the website for Alpha Phi’s website, thetachiua.com. Additionally, in 2013, he co-founded CrossFit 404, which is now one of the largest CrossFit gyms in Atlanta. Outside of work, Brother Howard loves to travel, especially to follow the Tide during football season.

Brother Robert Baugh – Alpha Phi ‘79

Brother Baugh currently serves as a shareholder and lawyer with Sirote & Permutt, P.C. in Birmingham. Originally from Decatur, AL, he pledged Theta Chi in 1975 after attending rush parties with Wes Wicker during high school. He knew Theta Chi brothers from Decatur, including Mike Washburn and David Neal. He also got to know Brothers Marvin McConaghy, Pete Derzis and Frank Weber, and decided 501 Jefferson Ave was the place for him. When asked about his some of his fondest memories, Brother Baugh remembered a tough event that actually turned out pretty well. Brother Baugh was unfortunately hit by a car while racing Brother Phil Jarrell home from intramural practice. A result of this unfortunate event was that he was able to take a semester off from school while living in the chapter house following knee surgery, and got a job checking freshmen girls’ meal tickets at Tutwiler Hall during recovery. His chapter and campus involvement as an undergraduate included serving as Theta Chi Vice-President and working with UPC, helping book artists like Billy Joel for events at the Capstone.

Following graduation in 1979, Brother Baugh attended the University of Alabama School of Law and obtained his J.D. degree in 1982. With the exception of a short stint back in Decatur, he has practiced law in Birmingham since leaving Tuscaloosa, and counsels businesses and business owners on litigation, intellectual property matters, as well as labor and employment law. His appellate practice includes cases before the Supreme Court of Alabama and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. One of his proudest moments as a lawyer came this past year while he served as the 2013 President of the Birmingham Bar Association for its 50th anniversary. The organization held a number of events commemorating the anniversary of civil rights demonstrations in the city, and recognized some of the lawyers and judges who contributed during that time. Additionally, he had the honor of being recognized as the 2013 Lawyer of the Year by the Birmingham Legal Professional Association.

Brother Baugh’s wife, Pam, just retired after 26 years of teaching, and was one of two nominees from Alabama for the Teacher in Space program. His daughter Boo, 27, lives and works in San Diego, CA and son Richard, 23, an Alabama graduate, recently moved back to Birmingham from Jackson Hole, WY to work for a tech company. In his free time, Brother Baugh enjoys hunting, fishing, tennis, golf, and has been a certified high school lacrosse referee for the past five years. He is a volunteer and contributor to the Birmingham YWCA and the United Way.

Jason Berryman

BS – Mechanical Engineering, 2005

MBA – Finance, 2008

Negotiations & Business Advisor, Hess Corporation

Our Featured Alumnus is Mr. Jason Berryman. Originally from Decatur, AL, Jason graduated from Austin High School and made his way to the Capstone to cheer on the Crimson Tide and join Theta Chi at Alabama.

“The University was great for me and my brothers and Theta Chi created most of my memorable moments. There were great friends, good parties, memorable road trips and only the top sororities – everything a kid wanted, he could have.”

While an undergraduate at the University, Jason was a member of the Jasons Society, Order of Omega and several Engineering honor societies.

Following a brief stint as an Engineer at US Steel in Birmingham, Jason hung up the pocket protector and mechanical pencils to pursue his MBA and, following graduation was hired by Hess Corporation to move to Houston and try his hand in the art of Oil & Gas deal making in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

In 2011, after success within the Gulf of Mexico and Global New Ventures exploration teams, Jason was asked to relocate to Perth, Western Australia to grow Hess’ business units onshore and offshore in Australia. He had just proposed to his wife-to-be, MJ, a very proud University of Texas Alumnus from Houston, when Hess asked them to consider the move.

“We were floored – happy, but floored! How could we pass up the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place and have the ability to travel so far at a relatively young age? MJ immediately said we were going, so I didn’t have to worry about it too much. Hess flew her over with me to choose our house and then she went back to finish teaching and to plan our wedding – I had it easy!”

Jason and MJ were married in April 2012 and MJ has now fully moved over to Perth. A 3rd grade reading and language arts teacher while in Houston, MJ is working as a teacher with the DyslexiaSPELD Foundation in Perth while maintaining the couple’s home in Subiaco. Jason and MJ have quickly taken to the Aussie lifestyle of good coffee, great wine and plenty of outdoor activities. The wine region of Margaret River provides great weekend getaways and Bali is only a 3 hour flight away.

While in Perth, Jason has led the charge for Hess’ to increase its exploration portfolio to include ~37,000,000 acres onshore and offshore through strategic acquisitions and through maintaining a strong relationship with the Australian government.

“As an Alpha Phi, I have been rewarded with great friendships and great memories which will last a lifetime. I am honored to call those that are my brothers, my friends. Roll Tide.”